The Nature of Attachment Relationships and Grief Responses in Older Adults: An Attachment Path Model of Grief.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Various researchers have theorized that bereaved adults who report non-secure attachment are at higher risk of pathological grief. Yet past findings on avoidant attachment representations and grief have yielded limited and contradictory outcomes. Little research has been conducted with older adults to identify the psychological processes that mediate between self-reported attachment representations and the patterns of grief.

Objective

To examine the impacts of avoidant attachment and anxious attachment dimensions on emotion and non-acceptance, in response to the loss of a conjugal partner, and the mediating effect of yearning thoughts.

Design

Men (N = 21) and women (N = 68) aged 60 years and above who had lost a partner within the last 12 to 72 months were

SUBMITTER: Kho Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4603668 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature